Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. Concern is focused on rebuilding Haiti to help people recover from the earthquake and reduce their vulnerability to future disasters.
On 10 March, Concern launched a three-day operation in which 600 family-size tents were distributed at six points across the island of La Gonave, Haiti.
Mark Jafar, the Vice President of Corporate Communications at MTV Networks, is currently visiting Concern’s emergency operation in Haiti. He wrote this blog post.
Concern’s work in Haiti is now reaching 75,000 people, and this number is still growing. We are carrying out a number of activities relating to the things people need most: water, shelter, food and security.
St Patrick’s Day is a time to reflect upon, and be proud of, our role and achievements in working with those less fortunate than ourselves. It is a role that small countries like Ireland play a big part in.
It’s now nearly two months since the earthquake hit Haiti and an estimated 700,000 people are living in make-shift shelters. Concern is focusing most of its emergency response on water and sanitation in two areas in Port-au-Prince.
In Haiti, we know that distributions are only part of the answer. In our focus group discussions, women made it clear: jobs are a priority and work is seen as freedom.